a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amusement device for use in golf practice. More specifically it relates to such a device having an indicator which is responsive to the impact of the face portion of a club head with a golf ball.
b. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the game of golf, developing a consistent, repeatable stroke which allows a golfer to consistently strike the ball with the impact center, or "sweet spot" of the golf club face is necessary to maintaining and to improving the players game. This is due to the fact that when a ball is struck with the sweet spot of the golf club face the maximum energy is transferred to the ball, and does not impart any side spin to the ball which would cause it to drift off of a controlled line to the target. Due to the speed at which the club is moving at the time that it impacts with the ball, even in the putting stroke, it is generally impossible for a player to tell exactly which part of the golf club face has struck the ball. Knowledge of the point of contact of the golf club face during the putting stroke is particularly important since any slight error in hitting the golf ball with the impact center of the golf club face will dramatically cause the ball to spin, and thus drift off of the line along which it is directed, or fail to impart the desired energy to the ball so that it stops short of the hole. Since accuracy in both distance and direction are most critical in the putting stroke, even a small degree of miss in the putt has a substantial effect on the direction and distance that the ball travels. Therefore, the fact that a golfer cannot tell the exact point of impact of the club face of the putter with the ball is particularly frustrating. Even an instructor watching a golfer strike the ball with a club cannot always tell exactly which part of the club face is striking the ball, and thus may be only able to make general suggestions to the player as how to improve his or her stroke.
Prior to the present invention, any changes made to the putting stroke could only be judged as to their effectiveness by playing with the changes for a period of time. This has rarely been conclusive as to the effectiveness or consistency of the change, since other factors, such as alignment, condition of the putting greens, and the day to day changes in a players concentration may have as much effect on the accuracy of the putt, as the attempted change.
In the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,634 provides a system which depicted the effectiveness of a golfers swing. This is accomplished by providing a plurality of conductive plates arranged in a segmented pattern on the face of a special golf club. Each plate is connected by an electrical cable through the golf club shaft to an external console on which a pictorial representation of the club face is depicted. As a part of the console, a lamp is associated with each segment of the club face representation which corresponds to a plate on the face of the player's club. A special, non-playable target ball is mounted on a flexible arm, and a contact element on the target ball is also electrically connected to the display console by means of a conductor embedded in the flexible mounting arm. When the special golf club is swung into engagement with the contact element of the special target ball a circuit is completed which illuminates one or more of the lamps on the external console, which lamps correspond with the one or more plate segment on the face of the player's club which made engagement with the special ball. Thus, by studying the lights displayed on the external console, the player can see and record the point of impact of the club face with the target ball, and thus, the effectiveness of his swing. However, since the device is not self contained, and is effectively tethered in place, it can only be used in practice, and not in actual playing situations.
Also of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,529, which discloses a self contained stroke indicating golf club which operates mechanically to visually indicate the area of contact of the club face with the golf ball. This is accomplished by providing a plurality of physically displaceable and repositionable pins which extend fore and aft through the club head. The club is depicted as being usable for normal golf. It will of course be appreciated that the weight and balance of such a club will not have the same balance and feel as a normal club, and that the line of contact between the displaceable pins and the ball will be inherently different from the plane of contact which is provided by a normal club face. Also, in order to obtain the benefit of this patented system for the play of each club, each club must be separately modified or replaced, since the device cannot be transferred from club to club.
Other prior art of interest includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,504, which discloses a signaling device which is adapted to be associated with a sport implement, such as a golf club, to indicate proper alignment of the implement, with the stroke direction; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,118 which discloses a golf club training device which includes pressure sensitive transducers in the handle to indicate the correctness of a players grip. This latter device also includes a single transducer in the face of the club which indicates the moment of impact between the club and the ball. Neither of these latter references has any utility for indicating the point of impact of the face of a club with a golf ball.